Featured Headlines

Record deaths as global COVID-19 pace intensifies – CIDRAP

With cases accelerating in many parts of the world due to a post-holiday bump and pushed by more transmissible virus variants in some locations, the world 2 days ago saw its deadliest day of the COVID-19 pandemic so far.

Why You Should Still Wear A Mask And Avoid Crowds After Getting The COVID-19 Vaccine – NPR

It may seem counterintuitive, but health officials say that even after you get vaccinated against COVID-19, you still need to practice the usual pandemic precautions, at least for a while. That means steering clear of crowds, continuing to wear a good mask in public, maintaining 6 feet or more of distance from people outside your household and frequently washing your hands. We talked to infectious disease specialists to get a better understanding of why.

Global scientists double down on SARS-CoV-2 variants research at WHO-hosted forum – WHO

Global scientists are intensifying research into COVID-19, as the World Health Organization (WHO) moves to expand its scientific collaboration and monitoring of emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

How Fast Can Scientists Find the New Coronavirus Strains? – Wired

LATE LAST WEEK, Charles Chiu’s lab at UC San Francisco received a shipment of test tubes from the California Department of Public Health. This wasn’t out of the ordinary. For almost a year, Chiu, an infectious disease doctor, has been collaborating with the state agency to conduct genetic sequencing on samples from people who’ve tested positive for the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. Like all viruses, SARS-CoV-2 mutates as it moves through a population. Most of these mutations are trivial and don’t change how the virus behaves. But by making a record of these mutations, scientists can track the coronavirus’s spread and better understand the origins of different outbreaks.

Coronavirus shutdowns have quashed nearly all other common viruses. But scientists say a rebound is coming. – Washington Post

Veteran virus trackers say they are chronicling something never before seen — the suppression of virtually every common respiratory and gastrointestinal virus besides the novel coronavirus. They theorize that is largely due to global shutdowns, mask-wearing and a host of other health protocols aimed at stemming the spread of the coronavirus.

 

Vaccine Headlines

Why It’s a Big Deal If the First Covid Vaccine Is ‘Genetic’ – Wired

ON MONDAY MORNING, when representatives from the drug company Pfizer said that its Covid-19 vaccine appears to be more than 90 percent effective, stocks soared, White House officials rushed to (falsely) claim credit, and sighs of relief went up all around the internet. “Dear World. We have a vaccine! Best news since January 10,” tweeted Florian Krammer, a virologist and vaccinologist at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine (who also happens to be a participant in the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine trial).

Moderna says COVID-19 vaccine immunity to stay at least a year – Reuters

Immunity from Moderna Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine should last at least a year, the company said on Monday at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare conference. The drugmaker said it was confident that the messenger RNA (mRNA) technology it used was well suited to deploy a vaccine based on the new variant of the coronavirus which has emerged in a handful of countries.

Brazil researchers report disappointing 50.4% efficacy for China’s CoronaVac vaccine – Reuters

A coronavirus vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac showed “general efficacy” of 50.4% in a late-stage trial in Brazil, researchers said on Tuesday, barely enough for regulatory approval and far short of earlier indications. [Related: Brazil announces ‘fantastic’ results for Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine, but details remain sketchy – Science]

Disneyland Resort To Become Covid-19 Vaccination ‘Super’ Site – Forbes

Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, will become a Covid-19 vaccination distribution center, Orange County officials announced Monday, capable of vaccinating thousands of people each day as the iconic theme park remains shuttered amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Bloomberg Prognosis Podcast: What Allergic Vaccine Reactions Mean For You – Bloomberg

As vaccinations roll out across the country, a few people have incurred serious allergic reactions. Though the rate is very low, it is still higher than that for the seasonal flu vaccine. Despite that, the CDC is sticking with its recommendation that most people should still get the shots. Emma Court explains why.

Clinical Considerations

COVID-19 symptoms often linger 6 months or more, study finds – CIDRAP

More than three quarters (76.5%) of 1,655 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, China, had at least one symptom 6 months after discharge, reports a Lancet study published late last week.

Health Workers’ Antibody Levels Wane After SARS-CoV-2 Infection – JAMA

Antibodies to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) decline during the weeks after infection, in some cases falling below the threshold for seropositivity within 2 months, according to a national study of health care workers.

Infectivity of Healthcare Workers Diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 Infection Approximately 2 weeks after Onset of Symptoms: a Cross-Sectional Study – Cambridge.org

We performed viral culture of respiratory specimens in 118 SARS-CoV-2 infected healthcare workers (HCW), approximately 2 weeks after symptom onset. Only one HCW (0.8%) had a positive culture. No factors for prolonged viral shedding were identified. Infectivity is resolved in nearly all HCWs approximately 2 weeks after symptom onset.

Why COVID-19 pneumonia lasts longer, causes more damage than typical pneumonia – Science Direct

COVID pneumonia is significantly different from pneumonia caused by other causes, reports a new study. It shows how hijacks the lungs’ own immune cells and uses them to spread across the lung over weeks. The infection leaves damage in its wake and fuels the fever, low blood pressure and damage to the kidneys, brain, heart and other organs in patients with COVID-19. Scientists discovered a target for treating COVID pneumonia.

Immunological characteristics govern the transition of COVID-19 to endemicity – Science

We are currently faced with the question of how the CoV-2 severity may change in the years ahead. Our analysis of immunological and epidemiological data on endemic human coronaviruses (HCoVs) shows that infection-blocking immunity wanes rapidly, but disease-reducing immunity is long-lived. Our model, incorporating these components of immunity, recapitulates both the current severity of CoV-2 and the benign nature of HCoVs, suggesting that once the endemic phase is reached and primary exposure is in childhood, CoV-2 may be no more virulent than the common cold. We predict a different outcome for an emergent coronavirus that causes severe disease in children. These results reinforce the importance of behavioral containment during pandemic vaccine rollout, while prompting us to evaluate scenarios for continuing vaccination in the endemic phase.

Coping in 2020 (and probably most of 2021)